The church attended by suspected Georgia shooter Robert Aaron Long condemned the attacks as a “rebellion against our Holy God and His Word.”
The 21-year-old, who was charged on Wednesday with eight counts of murder, was a member of the congregation at Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton, Georgia, with his family for many years, the church said in a Friday statement, three days after the deadly shootings at a trio of massage parlors in the Atlanta area.
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“On Tuesday evening, March 16, 2021, we heard the tragic news of the brutal murders of 8 individuals, six of whom were of Asian descent, and of the aggravated assault of one victim who survived,” the church said. “We were absolutely devastated at this senseless loss of life and callous disregard for human beings created in the image of God.”
“We want to be clear that this extreme and wicked act is nothing less than rebellion against our Holy God and His Word,” the church added. “The shootings were a total repudiation of our faith and practice, and such actions are completely unacceptable and contrary to the gospel.”
Authorities have said in the days following the shootings that Long told law enforcement that he had a sex addiction and that the women at the spas presented a “temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate.” Police also said they have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.
Between 2011 and 2014, at least 11 people were arrested by Atlanta law enforcement and charged with prostitution-related offenses at one of the spas that was attacked, according to the New York Times, citing police records.
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“No blame can be placed upon the victims,” the church said. “He alone is responsible for his evil actions and desires. The women that he solicited for sexual acts are not responsible for his perverse sexual desires nor do they bear any blame in these murders.”
The statement also said that the church was cooperating with law enforcement and that it had begun the process to remove Long as a member of its congregation.
